The Men Who Told the Rangers Story | John Blake & Evan Grant | Ep 200

Episode 200 of Your Dark Companion features a conversation about the Texas Rangers, baseball history, and the stories behind one of Major League Baseball’s most fascinating franchises.
Mike Rhyner is joined by longtime Dallas Morning News Rangers beat writer Evan Grant and former Rangers PR executive turned team historian John Blake.
Between them, they have spent decades around the organization and have witnessed nearly every era of Rangers baseball — from rebuilding years and clubhouse characters to playoff runs and franchise-defining moments.
They discuss:
How covering Major League Baseball has changed
The personalities that shaped the Texas Rangers
The role of a team historian
The evolution of sports journalism
And why the best baseball stories rarely happen during the game itself
If you love Texas Rangers baseball, MLB history, sports journalism, and behind-the-scenes baseball stories, this episode offers a rare perspective from two people who have spent most of their careers inside the game.
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Episode 200 of Your Dark Companion brings together two people who have spent decades around the Texas Rangers — and have the stories to prove it.
Mike Rhyner sits down with John Blake, longtime Rangers executive and now the club’s historian, and Evan Grant, the Dallas Morning News beat writer who has covered the team for more than three decades.
Between them, they’ve seen just about everything: rebuilding years, playoff runs, clubhouse characters, media changes, and the slow evolution of a franchise that eventually found its place in baseball history.
They talk about what it was like covering and working around the Rangers during the lean years, how the job of sports journalism has changed, and why the relationships inside baseball often matter more than the box scores.
Along the way, the conversation drifts through unforgettable players, the personalities that shaped the franchise, and the strange, funny, and occasionally chaotic moments that happen when you spend your life around a baseball team.
It’s baseball storytelling the way it’s supposed to be — honest, reflective, and full of the kinds of stories that rarely make it into the game recap.
⏱ Chapters
0:00 — Episode 200 Begins
3:12 — Decades Around the Texas Rangers
8:20 — The Beat Writer’s Life
13:05 — Inside the Rangers Organization
19:30 — Baseball Before the Digital Age
25:10 — The Players Who Defined Eras
31:45 — The Hard Years and the Breakthrough Moments
38:30 — Baseball’s Changing Media Landscape
44:20 — Why the Stories Matter Most
49:30 — Looking Back on the Rangers Journey
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